Canis lupus occidentalis

The MacKenzie Valley Wolf also known as the northwestern timber wolf is a subspecies of gray wolf found in western North America. It ranges from the upper Mackenzie River Valley into central Alberta. It is believed that the MacKenzie Valley Wolf is descended from the last Eurasian wolf to move into North America. Sir John Richardson first described the species in 1829. The MacKenzie Valley Wolf has been involved in two fatal human attacks. A coroner's inquest found that 22 year old Kenton Carnegie was killed by a pack of wolves in northern Saskatchewan on November 8, 2005, making it the first documented case of fatal wolf attack in the wild in North America. Carnegie's body was found near a garbage dump where wolves scavenged. Evidence supports the belief that 32-year-old Candice Berner was attacked and killed in 2010 by two or more wolves while jogging near the village of Chignik Lake on the Alaska Peninsula. Wolf DNA was recovered from Berner's clothing and matched DNA from wolves later shot in the area. The forensic evidence was consistent with the injuries to Berner and the wolf tracks found around her body. Both victims were fed upon. Wolf attacks in Canada are linked to habituation.

The MacKenzie Valley Wolf weighs from 100 to 145 pounds. One weighing 175 pounds was caught in Alaska in 1939. Their average length is from 5 to 7 feet in length, from the tip of the nose to the end of the tail. They can reach speeds of 40 miles per hour and travel as many as 70 miles per day. Their coat consists of an outer layer composed of coarse guard hairs and a soft undercoat. They moult in late spring. The most common coat color is grey flecked with black, with lighter underparts, but individuals and populations also occur that are red, brown, black or almost pure white. The MacKenzie Valley Wolf is no longer considered endangered.